Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Tuesday, 19 December 2023

BBC News

• Liverpool City Region plan for £10m tap-and-go public transport systemAbout £10m is to be invested to develop a new tap-and-go ticketing system for public transport across the Liverpool City Region.
• Pay rise needed to stop Friday transport strikePublic transport is due to be cancelled on Friday for a fourth time this month due to strike over pay.
• ScotRail introduces electric car-charging fees at stationsDrivers will face a levy to top up their vehicles at stations from next month.
• Southwest Airlines fined $140m for holiday meltdownThe penalty is the heftiest issued on an airline following the delays last winter for two million people.
• London's transport to get £250m government investment in 2024TfL's chief says the funding package will still leave the body with an overall funding shortfall.
• BP pauses all Red Sea shipments after rebel attacksThe US will lead an international operation to protect ships on the route, after several firms halt journeys.

Financial Times

• Expanded US-led task force to protect Red Sea shipping as attacks mountIran-backed Houthi rebels have stepped up strikes on vessels in critical artery for global trade
• BP pauses oil shipments through Red Sea after rebel attacksBrent crude and benchmark gas prices jump over disruption of route that handles about a 10th of global trade
• London's transport body warns of funding shortfall after securing £250mnCentral government grant is half the amount sought by TfL to finance much-needed upgrades

Times Online

• Crude price surges as BP pauses shipments through Red Sea. [subscription]Oil major follows container-ship giants in calling off crossings in response to Houthi rebels escalating campaign against Israel to strike other vessels

City AM

• Why £250m won’t solve TfL’s funding problems Transport for London (TfL) has finally struck a deal with government to address its ongoing financial problems - but is it enough?

Daily Record

• ScotRail to introduce electric vehicle charging costs in train station car parks next monthLanarkshire customers with electric vehicles will have better access to charging points to support their journeys when ScotRail introduces charges from January 8.

Local Government

• Hull Bus Alliance secures Government approval for ’enhanced partnership’ to deliver better servicesThe Hull Bus Alliance has welcomed the Department for Transport’s (DfT) decision to approve its plans for an enhanced partnership to deliver better bus services for the city and for passengers.

Bolton News

• Clean Air Zone cameras to remain across Greater ManchesterMetro Mayor Andy Burnham and his lead for clean air Eamonn O'Brien set out a non-charging scheme during an event at GMCA HQ on Wednesday.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Clean Air Zone income shouldn't be spent on business-as-usual roadworksBristol's Clean Air Zone came into force just over a year ago. Next month long-awaited figures should be published revealing how much drivers have paid the council in charges and fines

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Council looking to trim its £6.5m home-to-school transport billCash-strapped Conwy Council is paying out nearly £6.5m in home-to-school transport costs a year. They could now look to cut taxis for some children, including Welsh speakers and children with additional needs.

Other Regional Press

• Manchester tube map has Heathrow Airport in WarringtonA 'NORTHERN Tube' map has been created and it shows that Warrington would be home to Heathrow Airport.
• We will continue our fight to bring Eurostar back to KentSome 40,000 people have now backed a petition calling for Eurostar services to be reinstated in Kent more than two years after they were axed.
• Residents blast 'madness' of new Foleshill cycleway plans as proposals spark fears of 'traffic chaos'A petition has been launched to fight the plans
• National Express Coventry extends £2 single fare cap until the end of 2024The Government initiative first launched in January 2023 as part of the Government’s Help for Households scheme

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Go-Ahead London celebrates electric decadeGo-Ahead London is marking ten years of operating electric buses in the capital.
• Volvo electromobility specialist emphasises noise reduction Stagecoach EastOne of Volvo’s electromobility specialists has emphasised the ability of electric buses to reduce noise on a recent visit to a Stagecoach depot.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• DP World Southampton Invests £15M in Driver AmenitiesDP World has started construction on a new driver welfare facility at its Southampton, UK logistics hub. The facility aims to provide amenities for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers passing through the port. The new 7,500 sqm site will feature a restaurant, cafe, bathrooms, showers and parking accommodations for over 120 lorries with 24-hour security. The Southampton project follows DP World securing a land lease from port operator Associated British Ports earlier this year. It is expected to ease residential traffic concerns and reduce transport emissions in the area. These factors contribu...
• Torc Roboitcs partners with Uber Freight to Advance Autonomous Lorry RolloutSelf-driving lorry developer Torc Robotics has announced a new partnership with Uber Freight, Uber's logistics division. Through the agreement, Torc will have access to data and insights from Uber Freight's network of over 100,000 carriers to inform its autonomous trucking technology development and future deployment strategy. Specifically, Uber Freight's data will provide Torc with information on optimal routes and operational domains for rolling out autonomous lorries, balancing supply and demand and logistics hubs for transferring loads. Uber Freight moves over $18 billion in f...
• Government approves £250M transport funding for LondonThe UK government has agreed to a new £250 million funding package for Transport for London (TfL) in 2024. According to statements from Rail Minister Huw Merriman, the investment will support upgrade projects like new Piccadilly line trains. Merriman said: “We’re investing in transport across the country and today’s agreement will have a tangible, positive impact not just for people travelling in and around the capital but also the millions who visit every year. “It is fair for Londoners and taxpayers, underpinning projects that will support hundreds of skilled ...
• National Rail ticket retailer plan to be scrappedThe UK government has announced an update regarding previously proposed plans for rail ticketing reforms under the William Shapps plan for the future of British railways. Updated on December 14, 2023, the government stated it is no longer pursuing a centralised Great British Railways online ticket retailer. This had been set out under the 2021 rail strategy white paper from Keith Williams, independent chair of the Rail Review, and Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport. Instead, the latest update explains that private retailers will continue selling tickets alongside existing third-p...

New Civil Engineer

• East West Rail | Track laying ’99% complete’ between Bicester and BletchleyTrack laying for East West Rail’s (EWR’s) first connection stage (CS1) between Bicester and Bletchley is now “99% complete” according to the project promoter East West Rail Co.

Rail Advent

• Memorandum of Understanding signed for Great Central Railway reunification projectThe Great Central Railway (GCR) has announced key developments in its ambitious plan to join the two halves of the heritage railway.
• New route director takes the reins at Network Rail’s Wessex linesA new route director has been appointed to oversee one of the busiest and most congested networks in the country.

Railway Gazette

• Plan to welcome open access back to WrexhamUK: Plans have been drawn up to revive open access services between London, Shrewsbury and Wrexham under the WSMR brand, 13 years after a previous initiative ended. Tony Miles reports.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Bus patronage: Coming back, but some major variations in playNews that bus patronage in Great Britain rose strongly in the year to March will be welcomed by an industry that continues to ponder revised patterns of demand. But raw data on the sector, published in bulk by the Department for Transport (DfT) on 30 November, shows that it also has much to consider when variation in rates of growth is brought to the table. That breadth is seen among customer segments, with elderly and disabled users still some way off returning in full, and regionally.

The Business Desk

• West Midlands Trains secures £50m for new rail depotWest Midlands Trains (WMT) has secured a £50m investment from Angel Trains for the development of its Tyseley rail depot.

Other News Sources

• Key Heathrow rail link secures funding for new trainsOne of the major rail services linking central London and Heathrow airport is to introduce new trains following a new funding agreement.